LA Noire

[Yggdrasil]

What do real detectives think of L.A. Noire?
L.A. Noire Timelapse: World in Motion

[Dade]

What do real detectives think of L.A. Noire?

Wow, I watched that video and actually really dug the commentary by the Detective. I think I might have to snag this now.

[Parn]

Just completed the game.  I've upgraded my score to a 9 out of 10, simply because of the way everything comes together for the last set of cases.  If it hadn't been for some of the clunky controls, it would have been a 10 out of 10.  Definitely one of the best gaming experiences I've had.

[Alisha]

i have a question. i was thinking of trying the game but i was warned that there is some racist elements that i might be sensitive to. can someone elaborate on that for me so i can make a decision?

[Parn]

There is racism in the game where non-whites are generally looked down upon and treated like shit.  It gives the game a feeling of authenticity since the goal was to create the look, feel, and sound of 1940s Los Angeles in an era where racism was still very prominent.

[Ashtrot]

Women are also treated like crap, despite being 'above' non-whites in terms of importance.

Anyway, finished the game yesterday. Awesome game, hope they make more like it and refine the controls. Not sure I completely understand the ending, as I was half asleep when I finished.

Code:

Did everyone other than Fontaine get away with it? Was that Roy Earle delivering the eulogy? If so... wow, downer ending.

[Parn]

Yeah, it was him.  The ending was fitting though, given that it's a noir story.

[Ashtrot]

I was kind of hoping at least he wold get his just desserts, I hated that son of a bitch.

[Prime Mover]

Playing the game, LOVING it. I'm a big Noir buff. I had the itch last night, so I went back and watched The Third Man, again. They've really got it down, accept for a couple of things:

1) Haze Code - Between the late 1930s and early 1960s, the film industry was incredibly tame on the language, sex, and violence. Not that I have a problem with ANY of that, if done well. HOWEVER, it really breaks it out of the classic noir mould everytime someone yells "FUCK!" or you see an up-close-and-personal shot of a naked, eviscerated female corpse. The themes in Film Noir are supposed to be visceral, but the presentation was always subdued. I know that it's more realistic to real-life, but for the most part, if feels like the game is trying to capture the essence of the film genre, so I have to dissagree with this design choice.

2) Black & White - THANKS FOR INCLUDING IT! But it should be the default. Honestly, the game just plays SO MUCH BETTER in Black & White, there's just no comparison. Suddenly all the high contrast lighting just pops, the fascial expresions are more vivid, everything just looks more real. I tried switching back to color for a few minutes, and it was just wrong.

3) Film Grain Effect - If there was ever a game that would really benefit from a film grain effect, it's this one. BioWare's been doing it by default, and the first thing I do when I play ME or DA is turn it off, because I don't think it fits. But here, it would be perfect.

4) I've always hated Rockstar's saving system, but it's at it's worst here. Half the time, it doesn't even tell you when you're saving... you can never create new saves and try things out (I had to replay an entire case yesterday because I missed something and thought it hadn't saved yet). It's just aweful. Not intuitive, and not fun.

Aside from those things, i'm LOVING it.

[Ashtrot]

1) Haze Code - Between the late 1930s and early 1960s, the film industry was incredibly tame on the language, sex, and violence. Not that I have a problem with ANY of that, if done well. HOWEVER, it really breaks it out of the classic noir mould everytime someone yells "FUCK!" or you see an up-close-and-personal shot of a naked, eviscerated female corpse. The themes in Film Noir are supposed to be visceral, but the presentation was always subdued. I know that it's more realistic to real-life, but for the most part, if feels like the game is trying to capture the essence of the film genre, so I have to dissagree with this design choice.

As I reall, Noir was a movement purposely created for the purpose of protesting the Hays Code, which maintained that movies had to be 'bad guy does bad stuff, good guy gives them their comeuppance, everyone is happy' story-wise. LA Noire is what those would have been if the Hays Code didn't exist.

[Alisha]

i've decided to not play the game. thanks for your input guys!

[Ashtrot]

Alisha, I think that truly would be a mistake. Yes, there is racism and sexism in the game but it only highlights how far we've come since then instead of being "oh shit negative portrayal." L.A. Noire is one of the best game experiences this gn, I strongly recommend you at least try it.

[Prime Mover]

Leyviur. You're absolutely right, and that's why I'm torn. It's just a little jarring because it seems out of place in with the rest of the Noir. Eh... what am I saying, post-Hays code saw quite a few visceral Noirs like Chinatown.

Though, for a bit of clarification. Noir actually originated out of pulp novels and B movies out of the early depression, pre-Hays code, actually. The genre went underground for a while, considered by many to be tasteless, but then got discovered by the French just after WWII, hence the name. The French lauded it as legitimate art, and the genre gained wide acceptance and a resurgence during the 40s and early 50s.

It's always weird to go back and see films in that strange window between the invention of sound and Hays code. Suddenly you get old films that you expect to be tame, but are incredibly brutal, especially during the 30s. When I saw "Wages of Courage" (a movie about a group of amoral men risking each other's lives to make a buck on the most dangerous road in Africa) my jaw dropped.

Hays Code is for fascism anyway.

Alicia, God damnit, you're starting to remind me of those crazy fundy religious types who won't send their child to school because it's too secular!

[John]

This is Shenmue 3.

Phelps picks up random crap and declares it unimportant.

Ryo Hazuki talks to random people and asks them where sailors hang out.

IT'S A CONSPIRACY.

[Vanguard]

i've decided to not play the game. thanks for your input guys!

I haven't played it, but I would encourage you to play a game that has received such unanimously positive reactions. The racism isn't meant to do anything other than create a sense of verisimilitude.